‘Super Soaker’ type toy water guns lose pressure quickly and require constant re-pumping to maintain an effective water stream. Further, the duration of their effective water stream is brief and, therefore, the water play action is brief and punctuated by static periods of pumping. By necessity, this creates a continuous cycle of short blasts of effective water streams followed by furious pumping in order to recharge the gun.
The ordinary ‘Super Soaker’-type guns, utilizing pump-action technology, provide the user with only a 2-3 second window to shoot water at their opponent. Then the user has to beat a hasty retreat while frantically pumping their water gun to re-charge it for another attack.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,460 to Paranay, et al. discloses a water gun having a body formed with a central bore opening at its opposite ends to provide a discharge nozzle at one end of the body and a storage compartment or reservoir end at the opposite end of the body. The storage compartment end is adapted to releasably hold the end of an inflatable member which when loaded with water under pressure, expands so as to stretch the membrane of the inflatable storage compartment. Upon termination of the loading pressure, the inflatable member collapses under its own elasticity to discharge the stored water via the nozzle end of the body. A clamping device is employed for detachably connecting the inflatable storage compartment to its respective end of the body and a trigger mechanism may be employed for selectively releasing the pressurized water within the storage compartment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,480 to Shindo describes a long range trigger-actuated squirt gun. The squirt gun includes a hollow housing in the form of a gun with a liquid dispensing assembly within the housing. The liquid dispensing assembly includes a rubber tube, expandable upon being filled with liquid, which is connected to a rigid tube with a nozzle at one end, and will dispense liquid from the rubber tube through the nozzle. A pivotable trigger is mounted with one end located to squeeze the rubber tube against the housing. A rigid coil around the rubber tube between the trigger and rigid tube restrains the rubber tube from expansion for the length of the coil. An adapter is provided which is threadable on a faucet, for filling the rubber tube in the squirt gun with water.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,208 to Fitzgerald, et al. teaches an apparatus capable of storing and expelling a large quantity of fluid, having an elastic hollow tube having an open end through which fluid may be inserted into and expelled out of the tube; a hollow elongate outer enclosure surrounding the tube, and a slidable inner sleeve located between the tube and the outer enclosure. The inner sleeve slides through the outer tube upon contact by the tube as the tube axially expands, thereby preventing crimping of the tube.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,627 to Deal discloses a cartridge-type water bomb water gun conversion device which utilizes a cartridge-type water bomb which can be used by itself to release a burst of water or be inserted into a water gun which can convert the cartridge-type water bomb into a reservoir of pressurized water for discharge through an orifice producing a “squirt” type release. The cartridge-type water bomb has an expandable bladder fixedly attached to frontward and rearward portions of a main housing which effect a shut off valve in a passageway when the frontward and rearward portions are rotated relative to one another. The water gun has a gun housing and a cocking and engaging lever which accepts the cartridge-type water bomb against a nesting section connected by way of an exit tube to a discharge orifice at a gun barrel end. The pressurized water in the expandable bladder may be released by pulling a pinch trigger.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,850,941 to Johnson, et al. describes a toy water gun with an air siphoning valve. The water gun is provided with a pressure tank in fluid communication with a coupler adapted to be received upon a conventional water faucet, and a pump for conveying additional air to the pressure tank. The flow of water from the water faucet draws ambient air which is compressed within the pressure tank to pressurize the water therein. The pressurized liquid is released through a nozzle coupled to the pressure tank by actuation of a trigger.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,771 to Amron teaches a fluid-ejecting toy in which the fluid storage reservoir may be selectively charged either with pressurized water from a municipal water supply or, when a pressurized source of supply is unavailable, with unpressurized water that is subsequently pressurized within the reservoir via a manually operable pump. In an illustrative embodiment, the receptacle has a one way valve that allows only pressurized water to enter the receptacle. A variety of ways of charging the reservoir with unpressurized water may be employed. By way of example, the reservoir may be configured as a removable structure having a mating threaded engagement with an adapter incorporating the one way valve. The toy is provided with a manually operable pump for charging fluid received in an unpressurized condition.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,107 to D'Andrade discloses a toy water gun for containment and ejection of water which includes a housing, an ejection nozzle, a bladder and an outlet connection which runs from the bladder to the nozzle. The expandable bladder is located in the housing and has a first end connected to the outlet connection and has a carriage attachment located at the second end. The bladder carriage attachment is movable and guided generally linearly in the housing as the bladder is expanded. The bladder is a tubular member having a weakened section with a larger diameter than the remaining portion of the tubular member and has a variable diameter which varies from larger at the first end to smaller at the second end. In one embodiment, the bladder has a variable diameter, larger at it's front end and smaller at it's back end. In another embodiment, the bladder has a constant diameter with a wall thickness gradient. Combined variable diameters and wall thickness may be used.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,325,246 to Crawford, et al. describes a hand operated water gun which utilizes a base section which can be mounted on the upper arm of the user or carried by the user. The base section may include an elastic bladder and a pumping apparatus. The elastic bladder connects with a reservoir. The pumping apparatus is manually operated by a movable section which can comprise a handle. The movable section is pivotally mounted to the base section. Movement of the movable section causes water to flow from the reservoir into the elastic bladder causing the elastic bladder to expand. A discharge nozzle is connected to the elastic bladder with the discharge nozzle being normally closed preventing flow of water therethrough by a discharge valve. The discharge valve is to be manually openable to cause the dispensing of the water in the form of a stream. The water is to be supplied into the elastic bladder until it expands to a certain degree prior to opening of the discharge nozzle. A pressure relief valve is mounted in conjunction with the elastic bladder to help such from over expanding. Different configurations of fill valves may be used to fill the reservoir with water.
The foregoing patents reflect the current state of the art of which the present inventor is aware. Reference to, and discussion of, these patents is intended to aid in discharging Applicant's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information that may be relevant to the examination of claims to the present invention. However, it is respectfully submitted that none of the above-indicated patents disclose, teach, suggest, show, or otherwise render obvious, either singly or when considered in combination, the invention described and claimed herein.